The lithographic representation of photographs makes the T206 set a colorful illustration of players from a bygone era. But, T206 cards acquire a special vitality when they capture a player’s signature on his card. A signed T206 card brings the holder back in time, not only to when the player took the field, but also to when he held that card and signed his name, giving the card an incomparable personal touch.

WAGNER vs. WAGNER

The M116 Sporting Life Wagner is, quite literally, the mirror image of its contemporaneous T206 brother -- a reflection not unlike that cast from a still pond on a cold winter's day. The cardboard itself was less objectionable to its subject because it was not packaged with a tobacco product, and therefore far more common in terms of overall scarcity. However, this particular M116 contains the steel-tipped fountain pen signature of the "Flying Dutchman" himself, giving this 100-year old piece of cardboard a unique and incomparable personal touch unavailable on any surviving copy of the ultra-desired T206 example. I may never be able to own even an unsigned T206 Honus Wagner, the price being too high for any reasonable wallet to part with. But, this T206-mirror image, with Mr. Wagner's name scripted by his own hand, certainly fills a hole in my signed pre-war card collection incapable of ever being filled with a signed (or unsigned) T206 Wagner card.

How many signed T206 Rube Marquard cards exist ? I've been keeping track . Click the trio of autographed T206 Marquards below to see the answer !

My collecting dreams were realized when I brought these four "fantasy" cards into my collection.

I've been collecting baseball cards for 30+ years, and signed pre-war cards for over 10 years. In that time, I've acquired over 40 different signed T206 cards.And yet today I am sharing the best single acquisition I have ever been part of, four signed pre-war cards all coming out of the same truly amazing autograph collection.I had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to pick up two new signed T206s -- Nap Lajoie and Frank Baker -- as well as a stellar Sam Crawford, including the date in 1957 that Crawford was elected to the HOF by the Veteran's Committee.But, the most important card I received was a signed M116 of Honus Wagner.Obviously, I'll never own a T206 Wagner (let alone a signed one), so this will have to do as a suitable replacement.

Signed 1911 OBAK of the 1925 A.L. MVP, and reigning World Champion shortstop for the Washington Senators, Roger Peckinpaugh!

Billy Sullivan May Have Gotten Just One Hall Of Fame Vote In 1937...

...and he may have only hit .191 over 137 games during the 1908 season, but this autographed T206 still outpaces most common T206 players' autographs in terms of value. The only one of it's kind known to the hobby, this is just a tremendous addition to my signed T206 collection, courtesy of the April 30, 2016 Robert Edward Auction.

"A PAIR OF UNKNOWN BEAUTIES!"

2015 was a banner year for previously unknown to the general public signed T206 cards. I was able to pull these two beauties down from auctions this past fall. One of the reasons these cards are so scarce are the deceased dates written on the labels. Most signed T206 cards were autographed through the mail after The Glory of Their Times was published by Larry Ritter in the mid-1960s. These must have been obtained by extremely savvy autograph and tobacco card collector(s) who were ahead of their (his/her) time.

"I WISH I LOOKED LIKE THIS PICTURE NOW!"

An amazing collection of over 50 signed Sporting News Supplements (M101-2) came to auction in May 2015. The collection comes from the family of Dr. Clarence G. "Doc" Steen, who was a dentist in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. Over 70 years ago, Doc Steen had the foresight to have as many players as possible sign these old supplements. I have been fortunate enough to acquire 17 of these unbelievably fragile rarities, highlighted by a beautifully signed Tris Speaker. If you managed to land any of the balance from this collection, I am always looking to add to it!

Double-Rare Signed Double-Folders

Thanks to Chuck K. for letting me pry this pair of ultra-rare signed T201 Mecca double-folders from 1911 from his collection. This is the first time I've ever owned a signed pre-war card of "Hans" Lobert. The only other one I'm even aware of is a signed T206 from the Morey collection, which was sold at auction into a private and unknown collection in 2001.

BUY ME SOME PEANUTS AND . . .

1914 Cracker Jack signed by Hall of Famer "Rube" Marquard. Note the team: "Brooklyn - Federals." This is a reference to the short-lived Federal League, Few people realize that Wrigley Field was originally built for the Chicago Whales Federal League team, before being adopted by the Cubs as their home. Signed Cracker Jack cards are exceedingly rare, and this example was boldly signed across his chest--almost like it was meant to be there from the card factory.

BEFORE THE BATTLE!

This amazing signed T202 card of Fred Snodgrass represents a recent addition to my signed pre-war card collection. This represents one of only a handful of known signed T202 cards, and was just added to the hobby as part of a mixed lot of pre-war cards during a recent auction. The winner broke the group up, and sold the "Sno" on ebay a few weeks later, where I snatched it as soon as it became available! Too bad he signed it over his face, but I guess he felt pressed by the facsimile signature at the bottom, and didn't want to sign over McGraw, Davis, or Murray, also featured on the front.

Click the above image to see cards from Jefferson Burdick's collection, which he traded or sold before donating the balance of his enormous hoard to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. How do we know they were his? Because he stamped his name on them.

The Great Pittsburgh Find of Signed T206 Cards

Jeff Morey's "The Autograph Review"

A bi-monthly publication on the autograph hobby with an in depth look at collecting pursuits is available for $14.95 a year by writing to Morey at 305 Carlton Road, Syracuse, NY 13207. Back issues are also available -- eight random issues for only $9.95, plus $3.00 postage and handling. Morey has been publishing "TAR" for over 30 years and has never missed a date.